ASSESSING LEVEL OF TOURIST SATISFACTION IN SIMIEN MOUNTAINS NATIONAL PARK

Abstract

When visiting a destination, tourists interact with many different components of the destination products, which is a package of diverse attributes that includes not only historical sites and spectacular scenery, but also services and facilities catering to the everyday needs of tourists. The quality of these interactions and experiences, with numerous encounters in the total holiday experience, forms the basis for overall holiday dis/satisfaction and future travel decisions. Aware this, this research was conducted to assess the overall tourist satisfaction within Simien Mountains National Park in terms of the relationship between overall tourist satisfaction and quality of destination products and services. In order to examining the relationship between overall tourist satisfaction and independent variables considered in the study both quantitative and qualitative approaches were utilized. The researcher also distributed 370self administered questionnaires to be filled by foreign tourists of different nationalities who visited SMNP using simple random sampling.Based on the current situation, the study considered four camp sites inside the park such as Chenek, SankaBer, Gich, and BuyitRas sites on which destination attributes are found. These destination attributes are used as independent variables while the tourists overall satisfaction used as dependent variable. For answering to the specific objectives which were stated in chapter one, descriptive statistical tools such as frequency distribution, percentages, mean values, standard deviation values, and graphs were utilized. Besides, in order to examine the relationship between overall tourist satisfaction and independent variables considered in this study, correlation and multiple regression analysis was conducted. In doing so, Statistical package for social science (SPSS) version 20 was used as a tool to analyze the quantitative data. In addition, qualitative data generated from open-ended questions were analyzed by the researcher through a narrative form along with the quantitative data presentation. The result indicates that the most significant factor affecting overall satisfaction is product quality, and other significant factors were accommodations, service quality, hospitality, and infrastructure. However, tourist information was insignificant in this study. Based on the findings, recommendations were forwarded to stakeholders of the tourism industry so that the industry would be advanced in all-rounded development in general and SMNP in particular.